Ireland 2023 - bibliography
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Below is a list of books which were pertinent to the trip:
Fodors Ireland, 2013, still pertinent, was my main guide besides online resources. A few items were out of date, but not many.
The Most Beautiful Villages in Ireland, w/252 color illustrations, 2000, by writer Christopher Fitz-Simmon, and Photographer Hugh Palmer, Thames & Hudson Ltd., London, Publishers. I bought this attractive photo book on a whim 2 years ago and was glad to stay at three of the villages: Knightstown, Kenmare, and Carlingford.
Family Walks Around Dublin, a Walking Guide, by Adrian Hendroff, 2017, Collins Press, Cork, Ireland. This book was the info source for walking routes within or near Dublin.
Cork, Kerry & Southwest Ireland Road Trips, 2020, Lonely Planet Global Limited. This small guide has great maps that show the most scenic drives along the entire south coast, from Limerick to Cork.
Jonathan Swift, His Life and His World, by Leo Damrosch, 2013, Yale University Press. I first read this book in 2021, and after this trip read it again. On St. Pat's Cathedral page (day 2) I mentioned that Dean Swift cared for the poor. Well, the author refers to recent research into historical resources which showed that Dean Swift made small (but constant) donations to as many as 70 different families who lived in the vicinity of the Cathedral, and showed that his small donations (over decades) basically enabled those families to survive.
note - see way below for the story about Stella...
Lessons from the Bench, Reflections from a life spent in Ireland's Criminal Court, 2022, by (retired) Judge Gillian Hussey, Gill Books. This was an unexpected pleasure to read, with a lot of legal system insight, the people of Dublin being the main characters. It provides a great look into well-functioning social services working with police and rehab centers. This book covers a wide spectrum of social issues as seen over the last 40 years, from a Judge's perspective. I bought it on a whim at the National Art Museum gift shop and it provided a completely unexpected (cultural) perspective on Dublin.
An Unsung Hero, Tom Crean - Antarctic Survivor, by Michael Smith, 2000, The Collins Press. It does not take long before you realize you reading one of the greatest adventure/survival tales ever told.
Neolithic Britain, The transformation of Social Worlds, by Keith Ray and Julian Thomas, 2018 Oxford University Press. This book, written by two of Britain's pre-eminent Neolithic archeologists, reads a bit like a textbook, and when I read it in '22, I learned about passage tombs like Tara, Nowth, and Newgrange & it was my intro to the Neolithic era, people. (Neolithic passage tombs were also constructed in France, the Orkneys, parts of Norway, and UK.
AllTrails online was a great resource in looking for walks in Dublin, Killarney, or on the Ring of Kerry. I re-did my itinerary to allow for walks on the Ring of Kerry, but crappy weather intervened.
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The story of Stella (or Hester Johnson), who Dean Swift was buried next to, is full of mystery, but there's no doubt that Stella was a huge part of his emotional and private life, and they spend decades together under the same roof. Swift first met her when he was an Oxford grad and tutor to a wealthy Uncle's offspring and some of the servants. Stella, a servant girl, was 16 years younger than him. Over a decade or more they formed a lasting bond, and once he became Dean, most people assumed they were married. Over time a change occurred after which they lived separately, but still in the same house.....this is according to Journal entries made by his friends.
Author Leo Damrosch writes that modern biographers of Swift have made an educated guess that once together for some time as a couple, Jonathan and Stella put 2 + 2 (on the family tree) together, and realized they were probably both the offspring of the same Uncle, who was 'prolific' over a long time. It is likely they had different Moms.
When Stella died, 15+ years ahead of Swift, from a chronic condition, Swift's closest friends said he was desperate in his grief.
Final historical note about Jonathan Swift and the time he lived in - the reference book above shows a Parcel Map for the Dublin neighborhood where the Cathedral is, from the 1740s, and, each house has an attached plot of land, long & thin, an acre or two, for gardens & fruit trees. The houses all fronted on the street while out back it's like a park, what a different time ! Walking through the city blocks surrounding the Cathedral today, it is hard to imagine this !